Hurricane Maria has been upgraded to a category five storm ‑ the highest level ‑ with winds of 260km/h.
It made landfall in Dominica, whose prime minister said his house had been devastated.
Forecasters say it poses a "potentially catastrophic" threat to Caribbean islands in its path.
Many islands in the path of Maria are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irma earlier this month.
Source: BBC
